Biden's strategy of pessimism ekes out progress with Putin
GENEVA — In a political career spanning four decades, President Biden has seen American presidents from both parties try to transform the U.S. relationship with Russia only to leave office disappointed.
In his first meeting as commander in chief with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden intended not to make the same mistake.
He would make no overtures for a reset in relations, and his pessimism about the prospects of changing Putin’s mind on issues such as human rights would inform his actions.
“This is not about trust. This is about self-interest,” he told reporters at a news conference in Switzerland after a three-hour summit on Wednesday. “This is not a kumbaya moment.”
In setting up the meeting in the Swiss lakeside city, Biden’s aides left nothing to chance.
To avoid falling short of expectations, they played down the likelihood of even modest accomplishments. To avoid appearing weak, they negotiated that Putin would arrive at the venue first, eliminating the chances that the Russian leader would keep the U.S. president waiting by showing up late — a frequent Putin psychological tactic. To avoid any surprises, they decided against holding a joint news conference, which might prompt moments of spontaneity and improvisation.
With expectations set low and pushed even lower by the talks’ ending earlier than expected, Putin and Biden emerged from the meetings with a pleasant surprise: incremental progress on a handful of issues.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-putin-summit/2021/06/16/c2592718-ced4-11eb-9b7e-e06f6cfdece8_story.html
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